Feature Book of the Week The Absolute Value of Mike by Kathryn Erskine

FEATURE BOOK OF THE WEEK

Mike tries so hard to please his father, but the only language his dad seems to speak is calculus. And for a boy with a math learning disability, nothing could be more difficult. When his dad sends him to live with distant relatives in rural Pennsylvania for the summer to work on an engineering project, Mike figures this is his big chance to buckle down and prove himself. But when he gets there, nothing is what he thought it would be. The project has nothing at all to do with engineering, and he finds himself working alongside his wacky eighty-something- year-old aunt, a homeless man, and a punk rock girl as part of a town-wide project to adopt a boy from Romania. Mike may not learn anything about engineering, but what he does learn is far more valuable.

CHARACTER GUEST POST

Hey.  I’m Mike.  And this is my story.  My dad, the brilliant math professor (and space cadet) wants me to be a math genius.  Only I have a math learning disability.  So trying to make me a math expert is like trying to teach your dog (no opposable thumbs) to play video games.  Your dog might want to be good at it because dogs like to please you and everything, but it’s not going to happen, right?  But Dad doesn’t see the obvious so he went on a trip, again, and sent me to work on an engineering project with his aunt and uncle.  Whom I’ve never met.  In a tiny town in Pennsylvania.  Probably near where that groundhog lives. 

So here I am with Poppy and Moo (you heard right) and I have to admit, Moo is wacko but cool.  Poppy is comatose.  Dad forgot to mention that their son died recently.  He also forgot to give me any money.  Or tell me how poor they are -- I’m not just talking no air conditioning or wide screen TV, I mean electricity and phone service cut off, catching water in buckets in the front yard, and drinking powdered skim milk.  Oh, and that engineering project?  There is no engineering project!  But there’s an orphan in Romania that the minister is trying to adopt before the time runs out … in three weeks!  And she needs forty thousand dollars.

Guess what this orphan’s name is?  Misha.  That means Mike!  Like me.  I think it’s fate.  I was meant to come here to save this kid.  Every kid should have a family.  That’s what Past says, too.  He’s this homeless guy I met who’s really smart, except for his quirks like he has a conniption if you try eat a Twinkie or potato chips.  He has nothing but health supplements in his shopping cart.  Of course, he isn’t the only wacky one.  Why does Gladys (don’t let the name fool you) put up with a mean boyfriend like Numnut?  And the three guys who hang out in the park . . . they are so like the Three Stooges it’s scary.

Now I have a project:  making sure Misha has a family.  In fact -- this is freaky -- I’m in charge of the project!  That means raising money, getting the paperwork together, and getting Poppy off his butt because he’s chairing (so to speak) one of the fund raising efforts.  Plus, I’m taking care of Moo who really shouldn’t be driving because she can’t see -- which makes her cooking interesting -- and protecting Gladys from Numnut and figuring out the real story behind my homeless friend.

And it doesn’t have anything to do with math, Dad.  It’s about life.  And that a whole lot more valuable.

Note from the author:  I love quirky books and interesting characters.  And laughing, and finding out that things are not always what they seem.  And I love learning without even realizing I’m learning.  That’s why I write the books I do, like The Absolute Value of Mike.  I hope you like Mike and see that he has value, just like all of us, even if we’re not good at some things.  Usually it means we’re really good at something else.  If you don’t believe me, it’s only because you haven’t found that special talent yet.  (I didn’t even start writing until I was an adult, and it’s my second career.)  You definitely have talent, probably many talents.  Absolutely.  You’ll see.

ABOUT KATHRYN ERSKINE

Where I'm from . . .

THE NETHERLANDS . . . where I was born.

ISRAEL . . . my first memories . . . of sand, friendship, and men emptying our house of everything we owned while my mother stood by calmly and they drove away in a truck. (Movers, only I didn't know what that meant at the time.)

SOUTH AFRICA . . . where I slept in the bush, and got my inspiration for IBHUBESI: THE LION. More firsts . . . school, where I carried my bookbag on my head and sang African songs . . . first sense of place, believing I was African, despite my sister's insistence that we were Americans . . . first taste of politics, the terrible policy of apartheid . . . first realization that grownups are not perfect and sometimes quite nasty.

SCOTLAND . . . my school was like Hogwarts, without magic, but complete with . . .
   1.  Houses (mine was "Douglas," gold badge)
   2.  Colorful teacher nicknames (The L, Giant, Furry Forrie)
   3.  Detentions (I still remember writing lines: "I must ask permission when this is necessary.")
   4.  Prefects (to be avoided--can lead to #3, above)
   5.  Plimsoles (sneakers), rubbers (erasers), prep (homework), berets (the hat kind), vests (the undershirt kind), knickers (the underpants kind), "elevenses" (snack), pudding (dessert), eating at high table (think: sitting between Dumbledore and McGonagall in the Hogwarts dining hall), and the best, a "siggie" or "signature" (a coveted slip of paper bearing the Headmistress's signature, recognizing you for a brave act or noble deed, and earning you extra points for your House as well as the admiration of your peers).

ww.kathyerskine.com/Kathryn_Erskine/Home.html

NEWFOUNDLAND, CANADA . . . icebergs in the harbor, Aurora Borealis (the Northern Lights), the silver thaw, Bayman versus Townie, Miss Conception, cod jigging, caplin running, fish and bruise, curling, screech, mummers, and if none of this makes sense, look for explanations in an upcoming novel . . . .

VIRGINIA . . . home, though I still love traveling and, as always, learning, reading, writing, playing games, eating chocolate, drinking coffee, and laughing with family and friends. (your can learn more about Kathryn Erskine's book at her website.